Mars Area Centennial School will be closed Tuesday through Thursday.

During the building closure, all Centennial students will need to switch to livestream interactive instruction.

On Monday, Mars Area School District was informed that two Mars Area Centennial School students are quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. This case brings the total number of active positive cases at the Centennial School to two.

In accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines, Mars Area School District is required to close Mars Area Centennial School for a minimum of three days while the building undergoes a deep cleaning.

Mars Area Centennial School is considered a “small school” (fewer than 500 students) and is required to close for a minimum of three days when two to four positive cases are reported.

School closures are based upon a rolling 14-day period, which begins with the date of the first positive case in each building.

The health department is conducting contact tracing and will be notifying any individual who may have been in close contact (within six feet for at least 15 minutes) with the students who tested positive for COVID-19.

Any such individuals will be required to quarantine at home for a minimum of 14 days. Any students who are determined to have been a close contact will also receive a separate communication from the school noting the specific dates during which they must quarantine as well as the date that they may return to traditional instruction.

Mars Area Centennial School students may return to participate in traditional instruction on Friday, pending the district’s review of the school’s COVID-19 numbers at that time.